If you are going to blow the diet at Christmas, what better way than with thick, sweet, and usually alcoholic eggnog?
Of course, Christmas nog has its lovers and haters. The haters always have a point. Who would want to mix eggs and dairy products? But the lovers have a point, too. It's actually really yummy and people from every century, stretching back to the first American settlements at Jamestown and another 500 or so before that, loved it.
In fact, George Washington, the first president of the United States, wrote out his own personal recipe for nog:
"One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry'mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently."
What is missing from this heavily alcoholic recipe is the number of eggs. According to Time magazine, you should try a dozen. That will add up to a five-ounce drink with at least 400 calories. Go light.
Nogs you buy in the store are also thick and sweet, but the FDA permits only 1 percent egg yolk. Still, it does ring in the season.
